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Limited number of tickets for Springfield U.S. Senate debate between Ed Markey, Gabriel Gomez going public on Wednesday

Ed Markey & Gabriel Gomez

This composite of 2013 Associated Press file photos shows Democrat U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, left, and Republican Gabriel Gomez, right, candidates for U.S. Senate in the special election, being held to fill the seat vacated when John Kerry was appointed as secretary of state. (AP Photos, File)

UPDATE: The public tickets for the Springfield debate were gone within minutes of opening the doors on Wednesday. People still aiming to attend are asked to directly contact the campaigns as they hold the remaining tickets.

A limited number of tickets for the upcoming U.S. Senate debate in Springfield will be made available to the public beginning on Wednesday morning.

Those wishing to see Democratic Congressman Edward Markey and Republican Gabriel Gomez debate live can pick up tickets for free on a first-come, first-served basis at the offices of The Republican newspaper, 1860 Main St., Springfield, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. beginning on June 5.

A majority of the 80 tickets for debate were given directly to the campaigns but approximately 20 will be given out to the public. There is a strict limit of two per-person.

"We first tried to stage the debate in a larger public venue like CityStage, but calendar conflicts and the quickly approaching election date limited our options," said Robert Rizzuto, spokesperson for the Western Massachusetts Media Consortium. "But WGBY-TV was, again, generous enough to offer their studio and staff, making it possible for Western Massachusetts to host another first-class political debate."

The Springfield debate will be broadcast live from 7 to 8 p.m. on local TV stations WGBY-TV, CBS-3 Springfield, ABC-40/FOX-6 and NBC-22. NPR affiliate New England Public Radio, 88.5 FM, will also air the debate live.

And for the wired audience in Western Massachusetts and beyond, the debate will stream on MassLive.com.

Additionally, both campaigns are hosting watch parties in Western Massachusetts.

The Gomez campaign is welcoming patrons at Samuel's Sports Bar near the Basketball Hall of Fame while Markey supporters will be at McCaffrey's Public House on Main Street. Details about the watch parties will be publicized in the coming days.

Both campaigns also have agreed to take part in a June 5 debate at WBZ studios in Allston and a June 18 debate at WGBH’s studios in Brighton.

June 5 is the last day to register to vote in the June 25 special election.